Legacies Underneath
by darthluna01
Summary: Co-A w/ Winterluna. Han and Leia are off again, this time to stop a bounty hunter with political targets, which could stir civil war. In the midst of Imperial chaos, Leia is targeted by the Mandalorian hunter, who seems to have a personal agenda. ON PERMANENT HIATUS.
1. New Mission

Han Solo stepped into the refresher and let the hot water ease away the aches in his muscles. He was tired from the ambassador work that Leia had sent him. He certainly didn't want to spend all of his days working at a desk pushing papers around to wear his eyes out. He suspected that he would sooner gouge them out himself than remain an office worker the rest of his life. He longed for adventure, and he could tell that his buddy Chewbacca did too. He stepped out of his luxurious warm shower, put on his stuffy work clothes, and emerged from of the refresher feeling exactly the opposite of refreshed.

He returned to his office within the Imperial Palace to begin the day's work of endless paper-pushing and comcalls. It was going to be a long day.

Just as he sat down and started to work, a knock on the door came, and Han said gruffly, "Enter."

The love of his life walked in, carrying a fairly thick folder, that caused Han let out a mental sigh of agitation. He knew that she came to give him more work, and the look on her face only suggested that it could potentially bore him to death. He was surprised when she said:

"Alright, Han. I know that you want some adventure - you're an all-natural scoundrel who needs some indulgence now and then. Being that I am who I am, I have just what you need," she said, sitting down in one of the visitor's chairs opposite Han. She looked tired on closer inspection. He was going to have to talk to her later about her own heavy workload.

"What do you mean?" He queried, a smile spreading on his face.

"The Corellian Assembly needs to track down this bounty hunter. Or rather, this assassin. The criminal in question has been killing off very prominent members of the Corellian nobility and higher echelon of society. Understandably, the hierarchy is getting increasingly nervous as their main supporters are starting to dwindle. Han, I know how much you've been itching for a job in the _Falcon._ I just need a Corellian who'll act as an ambassador, who has a deep understanding of what the old High Command wants. Wedge won't do it, and he's the only other Corellian we trust with this kind of thing."

Her husband considered the offer quickly, being that he was still apt to shoot first, ask questions later. With a decided air, he asked, "Are you coming with me, Leia?"

She almost smirked. "Of course. Someone needs to keep you in line. Besides, I have some much-needed contact to do with the Assembly. I didn't want to make a special trip," she stood up to leave, dropping the folder on his desk. "Oh, and Han," she said from the door, "read it over carefully. Even if it is your home planet, I want to make sure we don't have another... incident." She closed the door behind her quietly, and Han reached for the folder, smiling to himself.

Outside Han's door, Leia suppressed the urge to shed tears. This bounty hunter was dangerous - more dangerous than Boba Fett. And after reading the file herself, she was concerned for Han's well-being. The whole bit about making contact with the Corellian Assembly was just an excuse to make her appearance there legitimate. In all actuality, she was just trying to find a reason to keep a close watch on Han. For some strange reason, she has a bad feeling about this mission. Like the assassin they were dealing with was even more dangerous than he seemed.

Just as she finished this thought, Jaina and Jacen came rushing by, each carrying delightful faces.

"Jacen, Jaina, slow down. There are people trying to work here," Leia called out, before retreating to her own office. She put her head in her hands, and silently cried. Time passed too quickly, and she forgot about her meeting with Luke until he knocked on the door, and she quickly rearranged herself, but she knew it was useless in the presence of her Force-sensitive brother. As he entered and saw her feigned expression of calm and happiness, he greeted her:

"Leia, you can't get yourself all worked up. And don't try and use your Sabaac face with me."

The former princess chuckled at her brother's powers of perception. At least she could be honest with him. "You don't know the half of it, Luke. But I wonder if I'm just taking this a little too far. I don't why I have such an ominous feeling. I'm slightly desperate."

"Leia, you can't live in worry. You have to let things be," was Luke's sagely reply.

"You are too wise, Luke," she quipped, trying to cheer up.

"And you work yourself too hard," continued her twin, thinking along the same lines as his brother-in-law. "That's why I agreed to watch over the twins and Anakin. So that you don't have to worry about them, too."

"Why are you always right?" Leia asked.

"I'd prefer not to know," Luke answered, shaking some of the blond hair out of his face. "Now, what about this journey you wanted me to take?"

The rest of their talk went smoothly and Leia resolved not to worry. Everything was fine. Luke reassured her time and again that, "It's Han. He'll be okay. If he's not, he's got you with him, so what's to worry about?"

Finally, their sibling chat was over and Luek departed to settle some business he had with Talon Karrde. Leia didn't even want to know, instead hurrying to the cafeteria to eat lunch, during which she would enjoy Mon Mothma's company. A nice, friendly lunch without politics was what Leia needed, and Mon Mothma also wanted to talk to her on a more personal level. Being that she and the esteemed Madam President had been close colleagues for years, Leia didn't think too much about the content of their conversation.

Leia had just sat down when Mon Mothma emerged from the other side of the room. Leia stood up to help her to her seat.

Once they were both seated, a droid came by with food for both of them. They both sat in silence chewing their food before Leia started with something simple, even though she already knew the answer she would receive. However, the Chandrilan had recently come back from a visit to approve a complex of newly-constructed buildings on Abregado-rae, so the last time they had actually met was about a week ago.

"Mon Mothma, how have you been?"

"Busy," was her simple reply. "I've been helping several different with odd jobs here and there. I'm planning another trip to Chilandra. I have some work there that needs to be done. I am also anxious to see my daughter and her new family." Mon Mothma dabbed her lips with the white linen napkin, smiling.

"Well, I hope that your trip goes well. I am planning a trip to Corellia, but it's not just for the pleasantries. I have some work to do there as well," Leia said, wondering where this conversation was going. She felt that her reply was somewhat flat in contrast to Mon's quiet enthusiasm.

"May I ask the purpose your visit?" Mon Mothma asked.

"I have some conferences there, with some of the other ambassadors. Han won't be very happy to be in them, I'm afraid. He's getting quite bored around here, without an adventure on which to embark upon."

"I hear there's a bounty hunter that Han is assigned to capture," Mon Mothma said casually.

"Yes, I picked him to do it so that he may... have some fun."

Leia's companion smiled knowingly, but took on a business-like manner when she realized the time on her chronometer. "I'm sorry Leia, but I have a meeting with the President of the Banking Union in less than one standard hour. I must get my papers and such arranged. Please excuse me."

"That's alright. I have to go over the itinerary for this next mission. I understand. May the Force be with you." The Alderaanian found herself sitting alone again for nearly twenty minutes after Mon's departure. Her salad was consumed with little interest as her mind attempted to squash all of her worries. Apparently, she hadn't yet perfected Luke's calming techniques. As Leia was finishing her meal, Han sauntered over to her semi-vacant table, blue milkshake in tow.

"Hey, Your Worship. Have a good lunch date?" Han asked, considerably decreasing his milkshake in one sip.

"It was alright. We talked... a lot." Han noticed her silent downcast manner, setting his treat aside and swooping into the unoccupied seat.

"What's wrong?"

"It's--it's nothing." She looked away from him and began to distract herself by adjusting her chronometer.

Her husband slowly caressed the fumbling hand soothingly. "C'mon Leia. You can tell me."

Leia looked him in the face, gazing into the hazel depths of Han's eyes. She sighed, succumbing to their irresistibly concerned glint and general puppy-dog look. "I'm just...worried, that's all. I-I don't want anything--"

He utilized his crooked grin and used his other hand to stroke the smooth skin of her face. "Don't worry. It's me, remember? So, that means there's practically nothing to worry about."

Leia smiled and took his hand, rolling her eyes. "Of course. What was I thinking? The great Han Solo? Get hurt?"

"I dunno honey, but I'm gonna tell Chewie to get the _Falcon _ready. We'll do a quick systems check and all."

Partially relieved, or at least trying to appear so, Leia took a sip out of Han's milkshake. Suddenly, she heard a horrendous shriek and a war cry coming from the hallway.

"Aaagh! Jacen! Give it back, or I swear, I'll give you a Force wedgie you'll never forget!"

Gleeful laughter followed this statement. "Ha-ha, Jaina! Never gonna catch me!"

Han was tempted to smile, yet at the same time was pitifully embarrased. His kids would never calm down, would they? _But then again, _he thought, _They're _my _kids. _He put on his best impression of sternness and seperated the two twins by keeping one hand on each head, ensuring that neither could escape.

Leia privately rolled her eyes again and finished the milkshake until the last gargled strawful. Han was beginning to handle sibling quarrels by himself; she'd see him later. Disposing of the cup she walked back to her office in heavy concentration.

No matter how reassuring Han was being, Leia had a deep feeling inside of her that made her uncomfortable about this mission. It was forboding, she knew, but why it was there she had yet to discover. She felt for sure that it was another, as Han dubbed it "Force thing." A quiet beeping extracted her from the depts of her thoughts - it was her comlink. Leia switched it on and heard the voice of Winter, Leia's long time friend and now babysitter. _"Leia, there's an immediate request for your appearance at a private conference with representatives of Naboo. Urgent business. Come to Level 9 Room 347 A-S-A-P. Winter out."_

"Hmm..." Leia mumbled, running toward the turbolift, "I wonder what's so urgent..."


	2. Urgent

Leia sprinted through the hall of Level 9, searching desperately for Room 347. She eventually spotted the small black numbers at the very end of the hall. She darted composedly as possible into the room to find Winter, Representative Binks, and an elegantly clothed woman followed by three slim, orange robed figures who Leia believed to be the handmaidens.

In the far corner of the room were several sober looking individuals, deep in hushed conversation . The elegantly clothed woman whom Leia assumed was the Queen stood stately in elegant attire along with an intricate headdress resting upon the top of her dark brown hair. If the situation were less tense, she would have greeted everyone properly, but the council members were obviously quite high-strung at the moment.

Winter's blonde head inclined. "Senator Organa Solo, thank you for coming so quickly."

"Thank you for the pleasantries, Winter. However, if there should be an emergency, now would be the best time to deal with it." Leia used her best political smile, feeling as if she wanted to grimace; the smile didn't at all match her emotion. If this business was serious enough to involve the Queen of Naboo and her advisors, it would be dealt with swiftly.

Now it was Representative Binks' turn to speak. His Basic was surprisingly understandable compared to his father's. "Senator Organi Solo. I'sa pleased ta met yous. But I'sa is comin on some troubl-o business. Queen Apilanta isa in bombad danga."

"What sort of _danger_?" Leia spoke slowly, not quite able to understand the Gungan.

He relayed the whole situation without interruption. Apart from Binks' voice, the whole room attained an eerie silence, similar to the horror holovids Han enjoyed watching. "Around, sey...a wek ago, da Her Majesty was'a holdin' a celebrashon fa da Festival Wek. When she was'a steppin' up to da podium, a sweetch was activated! But da bombad bomb was a bombad dud. Of carse, da Queen was rushed away, fa safety proceejas. But dat's not da end of it!" He exclaimed with wide eyes, "Outta nowhere, we'sa getting hailed in blasta fiya!"

Before finishing, Representative Binks said queitly, "Now we'sa comin' to da Senate and pleadin our case ta find out who'sa tryin ta a-saucenate Her Majesty. She'sa gonna need some pratecshon, and da bounty hunta needs ta be found."

Leia was only wondering one thing: _Why was she called on this case?_

Winter now decided to cut in. "Now, if you are wondering why you have been called here, I shall tell you. We have traced the same bounty hunter assigned to your husband, to Naboo. Our reliable sources tell us that we have reason to believe that it is the same bounty hunter. Find him, and all of this can be resolved."

"So it is one of our top priorities." Leia spoke to the Queen. "You must stay here, on Coruscant. It is safe as the heart of the Republic. Protection must be provided for you and your governors."

Winter, the ever-reliable one, spoke. "We have this all arranged; the Queen will be staying here, in the heart of the new Republic, while you find her killer and who hired them."

In the duration of the whole conversation, Queen Apilantha's painted white face had stayed still as porcelain. Finally, she spoke up in a deep accent, much like a previous Queen of Naboo. "Thank you for your consideration, Senator. My people are greatful and understandably frightened. I have much confidence that you will find the culprit behind the attack and that I may return home soon. Thank you again, but I request you take one of my handmaidens along on the journey. I understand that the bounty hunter is situated on Corellia."

Each handmaiden was hooded, so that their face was unseen, but each were the same height. All of them had brown hair, each a slightly different shade. All of this made it quite hard for Leia to tell them apart. The middle handmaiden stepped forward.

"M'lady, I volunteer to accompany the Senator on her mission. I am sure that you do not have much need of me."

The Queen waited some time to reply, thinking. "Are you sure? This is a dangerous assignment, Padme."

The girl's face was set determinedly. "I am brave, your Highness." The two women's eyes met, one set blue and the other brown, focusing on eachother intently. Leia had to admit to herself that she was impressed by such bond.

"Very well. You may go." The Queen spoke wearily, unsure that she had made the right decision.

As the Nubians talked with Winter about the final arrangements, Leia half-listened, thinking:

_Well, I guess we're going to be leaving sooner than I thought. Sithspit! Han's not going to be happy about this._

--

For the first time in a very long while, Han was having fun and working on his beloved ship, the _Millenium Falcon. _It felt wonderful to oil the gears on the ship, feels the very same controls that piloted through the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, and smell the cabin again.

Going through this reverie, Han was interrupted by a soft pair of pink lips on his cheek. "Hey, Princess. What's goin' on?"

Leia frowned, slightly hesitant to tell him, as if bearing the bad news. "Well...I have bad news Han. Or, you'll think it's bad news."

_Here's the catch, _thought her husband. "Okay, tell me. I knew _somethin' _was gonna happen."

"Alright, so after you met me in the cafeteria today, I got an emergency call. From Winter. The Queen of the Naboo requested a special conference and I was involved, to my confusion." She paused.

"So apparently," she continued, "the Queen of the Naboo System had an assassination attempt on her life, but the detonator bomb was a dud. However, law enforcement found it after it simply started to smoke. Blaster fire was ignited upon the Queen and her governors, forcing them to flee. They believe...that it's the same bounty hunter from Corellia I assigned you this morning."

"And this is bad news...why?" Han was puzzled.

"Because we'll need to leave tonight, and, " Leia smiled wryly, "we've got to take one of the Queen's handmaidens, Padme."

"What?! Fine. I don't care, as long as she doesn't mess up my ship, doesn't order me around, and doesn't get in my way."

"Alright, well, finish whatever needs to be done and I'll head home to pack up the stuff. I'll meet you for dinner and Luke will take care of the kids. See you later, bring Chewie." She left her huband with a short kiss before going out to her speeder.

--

After smooth ride in her pearly white speeder, Leia came home to find Luke sitting cross-legged on the floor with Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. It seemed he was telling them a story.

"...and so the princess was trapped in the evil Sith's dungeon, guarded by a fire-breathing rancor. Now, the chivalrous Jedi and the handsome pilot were on their way to the castle dungeon to save the damsel in distress. Right before the castle was humongous beyond belief moat that held a sando aqua monster. Brave and reckless--"

Luke stopped short at the sight of his sister and grinned broadly. "I was just telling them a fairy tale. You know, 'a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away'?"

His sister chuckled, having heard this story before at the Jedi Academy. And somehow the ending always was quite familiar...

"Hey, Luke." Leia hugged her brother before starting dinner.

While the stew boiled, the twins rxchanged small talk, similar to what they had that morning. Despite Luke's reassurances, Leia was now worried more than ever because of the recent turn of events. But she felt like she was just bursting to tell someone. She had been holding everything in for what seemed like such a long day that she finally chose to confide in her brother.

"Luke, I'm just worried that something bad's going to happen. Like, when you feel a disturbance in the Force, that's what I feel like. There's something wrong, but it's so unclear that it scares me."

Her brother took her hand in his. "Leia, if that's what you really feel, then it must be for you to see and no one else. Only you can determine what it is. It's the will of the Force. Just know, that whatever may happen...it's not your fault. Don't think about the future. Just be mindful of the present. Your thoughts are needed here and now." He grinned again jokingly. "I mean, I just thought I'd implore a bit of Jedi wisdom on you."

Somehow, Luke always had a way of making her feel better. Maybe it was a twin thing. Or a Jedi thing. But she would do her best to follow his advice. She couldn't dwell on things that hadn't happened yet. Now somewhat better, Leia stirred the stew quietly as she heard the doorbell ring.

Three loud cheers rose from Jaina, Jacen and Anakin as they fled to the door fighting to greet their father home. "DAD!!"

"Hey, squirts! Where's your mom?"

"Mommy's in the kitchen making stew!" piped up seven-year-old Anakin.

Han poked his head through the door. "Hey, Luke! Kid, how are ya? Ready to take care of my three rascals?"

"Of course, Han. How are you? Glad that you've escaped the boredom of paper-pushing?"

Han's expression was considerably lessened. "Well...kid, that's why I got here a little early." He paused as his wife and brother-in-law looked at him tentatively.

"What is it?" Leia was fearing what would come next. All her senses told her that it whatever it was, wasn't good.

"There was another assassination attempt on the Queen of Naboo. It succeeded. She's dead."


	3. Assassination

_"There was another assassination attempt on the Queen of Naboo. It succeeded. She's dead."_

Those words echoed dully in Leia's mind. She was astounded, so much so that a buzzing silence spread through the room. The two last spoken words trudged through the recesses of her brain like molasses on Hoth. When the impact finally came it all hit full-force, that the same elegant, young woman she had seen earlier that morning, was dead.

"What?" Leia asked suddenly, not thinking of controlling her emotions before saying so. She had gone from being in perfect solace as a peaceful wife and mother waiting for the return of her husband, back to hectic politician in a simple two words.

"Wait a minute," Luke said, standing up. "Something is funny here. I don't know what it is."

"Don't get jittery, Luke," Han warned, remembering the last time he said that. "She's dead."

"Someone is, but I'm not sure what's causing this misunderstanding between me and the Force."

"Come on, Han, we have to pack," Leia said robotically after an awkward silence, only disturbed by the twins screaming and yelling. She just wanted to do things - she couldn't have room to talk and think, just do.

"Right," Han answered, still looking at Luke thoughtfully. "Luke, are you coming with us?"

"No, I have to check up with the Jedi Academy; see how they're doing," Luke answered, picking up his black cloak. "Well, thanks for dinner, Leia. I'll see you on the landing platform tomorrow."

"Bye, Luke," Leia and Han chorused. Leia turned back to the dishes in front of her. The twins rushed out of the sitting room to say good bye to Luke, who gave each a quick, swift hug, and exited through the door.

"I can get that, Leia," Han offered, extending a hand to the dishes.

"I got it," Leia protested, snatching it out of reach of his hand. He then leaned over her to grab the dish, causing her to thrust it forward, smashing it into the cabinet. A piece caught in Leia's hand, and blood oozed out of the place it fell into. With one quick movement, Han had turned her around and cautiously eased the piece of glass out, set it aside, and turned her toward the sink to wash the blood out. Little did they know, Jacen and Jaina had gotten their brother, Anakin, and were watching the scene before them.

"Next time," Han warned, "let me take the dishes." He was still washing her hand as he said it, his breath causing her hair to flutter.

"Next time, don't ask," Leia said, pushing Han back by pushing away from the sink. He let go, but then grabbed her hand again and massaged it. Unable to contain it, little Anakin had made a soft snorting noise, causing Leia's and Han's heads to turn. Their cheeks turned softer pink, and then all five of them burst out laughing.

--

"...emergency food capsules...Han's extra pairs of underwear...shavers...breathers...coats...check, check, check and--ARGH!" Leia had been mumbling theit itinerary under her breath all morning, to discover a large womp rat hiding in a teeny, quite crafty whole behind the toilet in the bedroom's refresher.

Revolted, Leia raised a can of some aerosol product to kill said rat, when it stupidly jumped directly _into_ the toilet. Even further disgusted, she closed the lid and promptly flushed three times. Satisfied to hear a small squealing rise and fall, the Senator clapped her hands.

Leia smelled the warm aroma of sugary oatmeal and caf. Han was attending to the children's morning requests, making her free to finish her last-minute travel preparations. In the midst of her fifth repacking that day, Leia made a mental note to have Luke patch up that whole and terminate the last of those throughly grotesque womp rats.

C-3PO hobbled on his metallic limbs to pick up the last of the Solo's luggage, erstwhile reciting his farewell and cautioning them against the many dangers of space travel, &co.

Leia then sat down at the table, feeling rather hungry and trying to block out Threepio's robotic chatter. She gave her husband and each of her children a kiss good morning on the cheek and grabbed a nearby roll from the pantry.

After munching quietly on her roll, Leia heard the door of their apartment buzz, after sensing her brother come into the building. The door opened to reveal the black-robed, sandy-haired Jedi. Luke greeted them all enthusiastically and went over the particulars of youngling-sitting with his sister.

"...and remember not to give them sweets before bed, make sure they go to sleep nine sharp. Oh, and Luke, do you remember how to work the washer? Good. If there's anything--"

"I know, I know. We've been through this before, and if there's anything you need to know, I'll be able to get through." He tapped his head, indicating their link in the Force.

Leia smiled, but the reference to the Force made her uneasy. It seemed as of late, whenever she tried to be in tune with the Force, she sensed a dark and forboding feeling. And since yesterday when they had gotten the news, the stress had increased.

"MINIONS OF XENDOR! THERE'S A COLONY OF WOMP RATS IN THE 'FRESHER!!"

Jaina shrieked and Leia had a fit of giggles, forgetting to tell Luke about the rats. He brother simply cocked one brow, shamelessly grinning and attempting to hide back laughter.

After exterminating the last of the pests, Han and Leia said their good byes, promising to bring back presents.

"Do you have to go?" cried Jaina.

"Can you put it off until next year instead? Or maybe in another ten years?"

"Can you take us with you?"

Han ruffled Anakin's hair and told him to be good for his Uncle Luke, while Leia hugged her children and made them promise to brush their teeth every night while she was gone and not to get in trouble. Chewbacca departed after enveloping all of the younglings in a crushing embrace. The three clambered up the ramp, and buckled into the seats of the cockpit.

Soon enough, the controls were up and running and they were zooming into space. Leia's thoughts drifted towards the Queen once again, pondering how she could have let it the situation slip. She thought of how the Nubians had put so much faith in her, and resolved that she would catch the bounty hunter and his employers no matter what. With lots of tactics in mind Leia began to plan things out in her head. The silence and slow of space travel eventually reached her, the last thoughts being of that brave Nubian handmaiden.

--

Meanwhile, Han piloted the Falcon in happiness, reunited with his ship once more. He had promised Leia he wouldn't get cocky and was using all his self-restraint to not spin or dip the ship dramatically. Han was reminded of the old days in the War - when they battled those Imps on the Death Star; the time they got trapped on Cloud City; when they were held hostage by those man-eating teddy bears.

Han shuddered at the thought of those Ewoks - they still creeped him out and made him suspiscious. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when one of the lights in the back cockpit began to beep vehemently.

**Co-AN: darthluna01 here, sorry about the slowness of the chapter. The next one will definitely be more exciting.**


	4. Now, Voyager

Leia was jolted from her almost-doze as she suddenly remembered that the Nubian girl was aboard the ship. The poor girl ad been the only survivor of the attack on the Queen, so she must have boarded quietly. Leia felt guilty in the realization that she had been left alone the entire time - she must feel terrible.

"I'm going to go check up on the handmaiden," Leia announced, unbuckling herself and leaving the cockpit with a yawn. Walking past Han's various projects strewn about the floors, Leia noticed one hulk of metal that looked similar to an IT-O droid and shuddered involuntarily at the memory it provoked. Not only had Vader tortured her physically, but also psychologically. Only now was she really beginning to understand the sheer power that the Force provided a person with, and while she had long forgiven her father's deeds, she couldn't exactly say that she had forgotten them.

She would never forget them, nor forget how close he had been to attaining her secrets, as well as her sanity. And with that in mind, she also could never suppress the wonder at what might have happened had Anakin Skywalker not turned. Had he stayed on the Light, would she now be a different person? Would she have known a mother who was alive and everything that, in the short time she'd been around, Breha Organa had been?

These musings faded from Leia's mind and were pushed back into her subconscious as she spotted the young handmaiden slouched low in the same chair that had once been occupied by Luke nearly twenty years ago. Memories from their escape from the Death Star caused Leia's movements to flow similarly: find a blanket, drape it over your sorrowful companion, and do your best to console. It seemed almost like motherly instinct now.

Leia turned the handmaiden towards her, pulling off the girl's orange hood as she completed the steps. The gleaming brown hair was stuck in its position, slightly curled, as if it had been sitting in the same position hidden under the hood a long time. Leia placed a soothing hand on the girl's back, moving her hand in circles like she did when her children had nightmares. The girl's sobbing, though quiet before, ceased after a few moments. Despite the fact that the hood was no longer covering her face, the girl was determined not to let her face show.

"I'm sorry," the former Rebellion leader intoned quietly.

Almost furiously, the girl wiped her sleeve across her face, a sniffle escaping from underneath the bilious fabric. "No, I'm sorry for appearing so, Madame Organa-Solo."

"Please," Leia urged, "call me Leia. Though I'm afraid I've forgotten your name."

"P-P-Padmé," she answered through violently vibrating sobs.

With a slight smile, the princess looked down at young Padmé. "That's beautiful. What does it mean?"

Padmé gulped down her tears persistently before replying. "I don't know. My... my parents - I think they named me after Queen Amidala. She wasn't the youngest, but she led the planet through the Trade Federation blockade many years ago."

Leia's body went through a spasm, but it wasn't because of the Padmé sitting next to her. Instead, the name of the Nubian queen stirred something indescribable in her mind. It seemed familiar, that thought. More familiar than all the political science lessons or history lessons she'd ever been given. It was similar to the "Force things" that Luke often received. Padmé Amidala - Leia knew that there was a connection somewhere.

"Can you tell me more about the young queen?"

The girl hesitated a little, slightly confused at the change in subject.

"Y-yes," came the shaky reply. Her words became more confident after that, the pressure in her throat finally gone. "Padmé Amidala was first entered into society when she joined the Refugee Relief Movement, and then went on to the Youth Legislative Program. After that, she joined the Apprentice Legislature and became Queen at the age of fourteen in a record-making short vote. When her two terms ended, Queen Jamilla appointed her to be Senator."

The way that Padmé had finished indicated to Leia that there was more to the story than one act of heroism. She pressed further.

"Now, sadly, many hold animosity towards her because of some of her actions in the Senate. Even though Padmé did get Naboo through the Blockade, she placed a Vote of No Confidence in the Chancellor preceding Palpatine. It was the first of many movements for Palpatine's rise to power, and people see what she did as the trigger to the Republic's downfall." Present-time Padmé stopped before getting a contemplative look in her eyes.

Wistfully, she continued, "There was also... a _rumor _among the Nubians, about the time my parents were born that she had participated in a secret marriage to a Jedi. I'm not sure what the name of the groom was - he had escorted her back and forth between Naboo. But even worse was the part about her being pregnant with his child just before the Purges. Other than that, no one really knows the truth of it because she died the same day the Empire was founded in a very suspicious way. The rumor upholds that she and her child, or children, perished due to her husband dying and that she had a heart-attack."

"I don't think she did," Leia answered, trying to keep her expression calm and her heartbeat at a normal rate. The handmaiden noticed her suddenly tense body language at once.

"What's wrong?" Padmé quirked her brow curiously.

"I think you were... named after my mother."

The girl's brows raised even higher. "Oh, I'm sorry. If I-- if I said anything...out of place..."

"No. No, I...I'm sure that -- it's fine." The words sounded even fake to her own ears, and Leia became distantly aware that a couple of tears had slipped from her eyes. Instantly, Padmé kneeled to face her in a comforting gesture.

"Oh, don't cry, milady -- Leia. She is at peace; most do not believe the ludicrous rumors, and despite the hearsay that has been spread, there is even a place where they honor her. She and you share--"

"Sweetheart, we've got company!" Han's shouting came from the cockpit. Leia sensed his frustration, and quickly wiping her face for any more potential tears, joined him.

"What is it?"

Her husband scowled. "Pirates!" Upon the arrival of Padmé, he barked, "Buckle in , it's gonna be a bit of a bumpy ride!" Han's fingers worked diligently to flip switches and operate the _Falcon's_computer, which was constantly feeding the little green symbols onto the screen. Chewie was roaring in irritation as something hit the back of the _Falcon, _causing its passengers temporary nausea.

"Yep, I was right. I guess it'll be just like old times..." With that, the ship swerved to one side from being hit again.

"Brilliant! They're firing at us now...Yahoo!" Han exclaimed as one of the smaller ships erupted in flames. But soon, his expression turned grim. His wife noticed and immediately said, "What's wrong?"

"_Preybirds,_" came the dark retort, "Imperial ones."

She gasped, fitting into the melodrama of it all. Then, it was interupted when Padmé asked, "What are _Preybirds_? I thought we destroyed the last of the Imperial's ships!"

"Well, you thought wrong sister. Watch this!" Han's lopsided grin spread across his mouth and he placed his hands on the controls. In a hail of fire, the small fleet was blasted to smithereens, spare one Sorosuub. Immediately, they engaged a chase and tailed the _Preybird._

The small craft tried spinning, swerving, and all manner of tricks, but the _Falcon _was always one step ahead. But Leia soon discovered that these were no ordinary _Preybirds. _Just as her danger sense began to tingle, the ship in front of them doubled over to face the _Falcon, _charged and then once it got in firing range, blew itself up.

Han swore loudly as he dipped the _Falcon _lower down, trying to avoid the blast. Even so, the ship shuddered from the impact on its hull, and had to go at a slow pace for the rest of the journey.

After the whole debacle was over, Han asked, "You're the Jedi-in-training. Pick up anything on what was going on there?"

"I don't know." She answered warily, "I have a _bad _feeling about this."

He was clearly troubled, but tried not to show it and instead went back to the reading that scrawled rapidly across the ship's computer. There would be time later; Han was not in a good mood just at the moment.

During that whole time, however, Padmé kept silent. Her expression was stony and blank; Leia couldn't sense anything coming from the young handmaiden, but the last run-in just gave her one of those crazy Jedi queasy feelings. Her suspicions were confirmed: Something was going on, and they were about to find out the hard way.

- - - - - -

"Jacen! It's mine! Give it back! I found it first!"

"Nu-uh! It's mine! Mommy gave it to _me_!"

"No, Mommy said that _I_ could have Grandpa's book! _I'm _named after him!"

"Alright you little banthas, what's going on here?" The three bickering children whipped their heads to turn in their Uncle's direction. Three loud, heated explanations came all at once.

"Jacen stole my--"

"No, Jaina says that--"

"I want my--"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, and we can all have some, uh...Lunch!" Luke improvised, happy that he could shut them up and resolve the sibling rivalry later.

It turned out that his brilliant solution caused yet more problems.

"Uncle Luke, I want blue milk please!"

"Uncle Luke, don't listen to Jacen, he stole my holobook. May I please have some hot chocolate?"

Anakin began to sing to himself off-key, _"Obi Kenobi sat on a wall, Obi Kenobi had a great fall, all Yoda's Forces oh poor Ben, they couldn't get Obi Kenobi back together again...Obi--"_

_It's going to be a long two weeks, that's for sure. _Luke sighed before plunging into the conservator unit in search of suitable lunch foods.


	5. Imperial Invasion

Chewie roared in a flurry of rapid Shyriiwook, making it hard even for Han to comprehend.

_"The Imperials have not damaged the ship too much, but the blast from the suicidal one caught something. I do not know what it is. I will look at it, while you calm the girl. This is no coincidence; we must contact Coruscant immediately!"_

"I agree with you, Chewie. And you can be sure that it's going down on the report. We need the sensors up or any more approaching fighters. The NRI is going to have to smack down here fast. But if there are any more Imperials around here, we shouldn't take the risk of contacting Coruscant; we don't have the skills for that kind of encrypt code. We should have brought Artoo with us."

The Wookiee sighed in resignation. _"I will go see about the damage."_

As soon as he left the cockpit, Leia commented dryly, "Well, I guess that was our welcoming party."

Exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Han leaned back in his seat, thinking critically, which was an anomaly in itself.

Before Leia could comment on strange behavior, Padmé said, "We're nearing Corellia now. But Imperial activity shouldn't be so close to the core. Are they crazy? What would a dozen fighters be doing out here?"

Leia was impressed that the handmaiden could go from teary, to amazed, to shocked and then revert back into a reasonably composed behavior. But the girl had one thing right: What in the Emperor's face were those fighters doing here? And why did that one blow itself up?

As they sat silently, pondering the reasons behind such an odd incident, Chewbacca re-entered the cockpit. _"There were only some loose wires and a fuzzy sensor. They were fixed easily."_

Shaking away the misgivings with a diplomatic optimism, Leia kissed her husband's cheek. "Welcome home, nerf-herder."

The previously subdued Han spoke with more confidence than he actually felt. "Let's get this show on the road."

They were about to enter Corellia's atmosphere. Han read the navicomputer and fed it info on where to land, while the two females went to the back to check on supplies. Chewie growled in displeasure.

_"Something is very wrong, cub. That queen's death does not smell right to me, for all they say about this bounty hunter. I can only hope that these mysteries can be solved. We do not need another Thrawn."_

"You're right there, pal," replied the Corellian, "but I've decided to keep it to myself. Just this once."

--

The children stood up to clear their plates and washed the dishes in a fairly cooperative manner. There was a small argument of which Luke broke up quickly about the positions of drying, washing, and putting away. In the end, Jaina ended up with too many bubbles, Anakin discovered that the towels worked much better on dishes opposed to his shirt, and Jacen finally learned the difference between salad and dinner forks. Honestly, you learned new things everyday.

Luke watched them march out of the kitchen. He sighed when they were out of earshot. Discipline bored him, even with his own Jedi. He too longed for adventure. Teach, meditate, sleep, teach, meditate, sleep. That was the only thing that happened here. He would teach and meditate afterward. He went to sleep, woke up in the morning, and the cycle would start again. The adventures against the Emperor seemed so long ago. He had done small jobs for the New Republic, and now he longed to be out.

The children went about their business, playing independently, as their Uncle watched. He declined their offers to enlist him in their games, preferring to act as a median should anymore sibling quarrels arise. It was a reflective time to think about where he was going. Eventually, the kids retreated into their room to spend a quiet time playing, if that was possible.

Still, 2100 rolled around the chronometer, and Luke entered the shared room punctually at eight. There was great hushing done by sensitive Jacen before entered, making his Uncle smile. When was the last time that this had happened?

He kissed each one good night before turning off the light and thinking to himself, _Maybe keeping this kids tame will be my personal adventure. _

With a one last lingering gaze, the retrospective Jedi Master retreated back to the living room.

--

Han lowered the ramp, finding the docking bay deserted. Leia followed behind him as he left the ship, his hand keeping close to his DL-44.

"Something's odd. I don't mean to sound egotistical, but usually there's always someone to greet us. This doesn't feel right."

Looking around, Han replied, "I don't know. What do you think we should do? It's your mission too, Princess."

"Maybe we should just--" Stormtroopers flooded the spaceport, their blasters aloft and their intent very clear.

"We've got _more _company!" With his superior fast draw and aim, the Corellian ducked behind the ship and cleanly took down the front offenders. But it was not enough, seeing that the Imperials had finally smartened up to the point of surrounding them in all directions with the _Falcon _smack in the middle. Consequently, that included Leia, Han, Chewie and Padmé.

They had no choice but to surrender, it seemed. Leia only hoped that her husband could come up with some sort of plan.

"Hand over your weapons, all of them." An officer in a dark suit ordered with his own blaster.

Reluctantly, Han placed his old blaster into the man's gloved hand. Leia did the same with her lightsaber and her blaster after Chewie had given up his crossbow. Apparently that plan wasn't going so fast. The officer gestured to the handmaiden.

"I have no weapons, sir," she replied coldly.

He sneered, "Rebel scum. Follow me."

With a dozen stormtroopers on their backs, the three Humans and Wookiee trailed behind the Imperial.

After going down a quiet corridor that was some ways away from their starting point, Leia queried, "Where are you taking us?"

"That is none of your concern, Rebel. Keep quiet."

Shutting her mouth, Leia turned to Padmé as if to check how the girl was doing under the present circumstances. It appeared that she was, in fact, perfectly composed and thinking hard. Once she caught sight of Leia looking at her, there was just the slightest inclination of her body language that told Leia to know when to duck. Somehow, Leia tried to project some sort of confirmation back.

The officer was leading them up a flight of stairs to the towers, when Leia caught a quick movement at the corner of her eye before blaster shots flew about everywhere. The handmaiden had whipped out her own blaster and fired at the nearest stormtroopers with success. The officer activated an alarm of some kind and it blared loudly from the ceiling.

"Now!" Padmé shouted above the noise.

Using the Force, Leia's lightsaber and blaster flew into her hands from the officer's pocket. He was so surprised that he barely had time to react when Han and Chewie regained their weapons. The man found himself very close to the business end of the blue blade, with the alarm still wailing.

Cowering visibly, the Imperial sneered, "Back-up will be coming soon and you'll never get away with this, Organa."

"I'm quite sure we can. What are you doing on Corellia?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out."

She really couldn't say that she expected anymore. He wasn't that afraid, because he knew that she was pacifist until the occasion required her to be otherwise. Time, she knew, was running out. There was only one option left to try.

Focusing hard, she waved her hand. "You do not remember us."

His eyes glazed over a bit. "I do not remember you."

Leia smirked, glad that she could pull this off, even if it made her a little guilty. "You do not know that a ship landed here."

"I do not know that a ship landed here," the man repeated mindlessly.

"You have done well; your superiors will be proud."

"I have done well; my superiors will be proud."

Leia thought that should suffice. Nevertheless, she concussed him with the back of her blaster just in case.

"Ya done, yet? Let's get outta here!" Wielding their weapons cautiously, they ran back to the ship hangar, hoping that the stormtroopers had scattered. However, their hopes were soon dashed when a hundred strormtroopers were circled around the _Falcon, _their own blasters held in a defensive position.

"All right, so what do you think we should do now? I can create a distraction," Padmé suggested.

Chewie didn't take kindly to that idea, pointing out that the distraction would have to be of great proportions before you could get on a ship that had a guard of one hundred stromtroopers.

_If only Luke was here, _was the mutual thought between the Solos. He could have easily produced some major distraction with the Force. However, Leia had never quite figured out something so complicated. Her training and practice would only be so good.

"I don't suppose I could try using my comm anytime soon, eh?"

"I don't think that'd be wise, seeing that the Imperials, if they've taken over the place, would allow that comm call to go through, dear." In any case, the encrypts would probably be to complicated to even get through.

"Well, you got any fresh ideas?"

They huddled in an obscure corner, thinking to themselves, when Padmé spoke up.


	6. Access Denied

"There is a small little loophole. We can try to access the main security computer in the central control tower so we can shut down all security discreetly. From there, we can sneak in to the data computers and try to find our killer and transfer his information onto my datapad. We can't afford to stay too long before they deduce our position, which means that we've got to rush as fast as possible to return to the _Millenium Falcon. _In addition, we'll need a small diversion for the folks by the security area so we can access the computers privately. If we can manage all of that, we can be on our merry way," finished the handmaiden with a grim smile.

"Leia?" Han asked, looking at his wife expectantly.

The former Princess' brown eyes were clouded with a familiar intensity that told Han she was thinking the plan over meticulously - as she always did. Barely ten seconds had passed when she nodded, "It's risky, but I think, with so little knowledge of the new layout, that this is all that we can do. But before we all slide into action, I want to make sure that there's an alternative if we _can't _get back to our ship in time."

"Come on, honey, let's think of that one later. If worse comes to worse, you can blast open the garbage shoot," her husband replied laughingly.

There was no more time to debate the issue when they heard the sound of stormtroopers coming from close by. Padmé sprang into her instincts and dived relentlessly down several passages until the clanking grew inaudible; Han, Leia, and Chewbacca followed behind.

It was apparent that the Imperials had not yet learned their lesson concerning proper guard against all possible measures, not even in the Corellian diplomatic spaceport. As heavily armed and intimidating the Empire might have been, their central computers always been surrounded by the intellectually strong opposed to the physically trained.

Such was what Leia observed from her vantage point around another corridor. She also noted the pair of stormtroopers that stood on either side of the entrance. With her relatively untrained powers in the Force, she could sense the four other humans that stood working behind the wall. Two were military while the other two were more scientific and analytical; obviously, another pair of stormtroopers and the two superior officers in charge of the tower.

"Our diversion?" she whispered to Padmé. The girl nodded infinitesimally.

"Can you and Chewbacca sneak behind each one and just knock them out?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth when Han and his Wookiee co-pilot had dispatched the two white soldiers. With their specialized identification, the New Republic affiliates were able to get the heavy blast door open. On 'stun' setting, the remaining four Imperials were shoved under one of the desks, shortly joined by the first pair of stormtroopers.

Padmé motioned the crew inside before saying, "The security computer will have to be shut down manually. If we just hotwire it to overheat, any guards or precautions will be alerted. But I only have a couple of high-priority access codes that probably won't work here."

"Where's Artoo when you need him?" Leia groaned.

"Couldn't ya just use some Jedi hocus pocus on one of them to do it for us?" The Corellian suggested optimistically.

"It is _not _'hocus pocus'--"

Leia was cut off by the urgent tones of Padmé's voice. "I don't think that's a good idea. They're clearly unconscious, and I would prefer to keep them that way until entirely necessary. And even though we may have low resources at the moment, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve here." Padmé still stood where she was, her face shining with an idea.

"We don't have all day," Han remarked. "You might want to get to work before some unpleasant company comes."

Padmé quickly turned to the security computer, diligently typing away. Under a minute later, she sighed with relief, "It worked. Now we just need access to the database. It should be on one of these computers in here."

"I'm sure it can't be this one, marked 'Database', you know," Han remarked smartly.

"Han, do we need to have a talk similar to ones we have with the children?" Leia questioned annoyedly, sparking a chuckle from Chewie.

"Laugh it up, fuzzball," Han said quietly.

The gentle sounds of clattering keys encompassed the cavernous tower room as the four beings hunched over in front of the hi-tech computer. Occasionally, the screen would display ACCESS DENIED, but then with some tinkering, would set itself to rights. However, as the Solos were all too aware, time was ticking like a thermal detonator.

A visible sheen of perspiration had formed on Padmé's face, most prominently upon her forehead. "Okay, I'm in. Mostly." She cleared her throat before continuing. "We want to find out about our killer, the origin of the situation here on Corellia, and how to end the regime, right? Right." She seemed to be talking to herself more than anyone else.

"For our bounty hunter, pull up all high-security files, as well as, criminal files within the past fifty years. We know that our killer is definitely human, so specify on that. And make sure they're still alive, possibly narrow the results by height, anywhere between. . . one-point-five to one-point-nine meters."

Several more heart-wrenching seconds passed until Padmé exclaimed, "Two hundred thirteen results, not bad! Oh, but that's only the criminal records and histories. . . Well it's on the datapad. Wait, I need more passwords to download the high-security files. No surprise there."

Padmé's fingers crossed swiftly across the keys.

ACCESS DENIED.

She tried again. It must be something else.

ACCESS DENIED.

And again. Twelve and a half heartbeats later. . .

"What in the name of Palpatine's ghost!"

Thousands of tiny characters, like Aurebesh, were scrolling fast across the screen. Yet as Leia read them, she could tell that they weren't really Aurebesh at all, but instead closely resembled ancient Nomadic carvings that she had once seen in one of the Intergalactic museums.

Her stomach dropped when she realized that it was Old Corellian, mixed around and then put in a complicated pattern.

Once again, Padmé cleared her throat, albeit uncomfortably. "Anyone a good slicer?"

* * *

Luke found himself drifting to the terrace, as the children were safely in bed by now. Absently, he could feel their minds at peace as a light wind brushed a strand of blond hair into his blue eyes. Slowly, he inhaled the Coruscanti air that always was just a little too metallic to be fresh.

For several quiet, thoughtless moments, Luke simply gazed at the busy city scene of bustling speeders and numerous pedestrians. Hundreds of meters below, one particularly dingy vehicle caught the light of Coruscant's sun on its hood, and he was prompted to remember the fact that neither Leia, Han, nor Chewie had contacted him even though they should have landed some time ago. It seemed to Luke that something might have gone wrong.

He pushed that thought back, reasoning that he shouldn't get paranoid - after all, Han _had _told him not to get jittery.

Nonetheless, if they didn't give him, or at least the New Republic, a heads-up in another twelve hours, Luke decided that in that event he should do a little probing to find out how they were. Knowing Skywalker and Solo luck, there could be no assurance of anyone's safety.

As the sun descended over to the other side of Coruscant, Luke once again felt that strange unsettling in the Force, and he worried as to what it meant.


	7. Searching Answers

"Where are those dumb droids when ya need 'em?!" An alarm blared once more as the machine flickered in red alert lights.

Han and Leia hadn't been successful when they had tried some of the old Imperial techniques, or even when Han tried to interpret the message through his rough knowledge of Corellian calligraphy. Despite all of their military experience, neither knew much of anything about languages except for the common dialects. So it was in Padmé's datapad that they carried nearly incomprehensible information that probably only Ghent would know how to solve.

At present, the three humans and Wookiee were running as fast as possible in no definite direction other than away from their pursuers. This whole game was getting old.

Turning at random, they found themselves in another port - one with speeders. The sparse amount of security surrounding the land vehicles was disposed of quickly before more stormtroopers could catch up.

Jumping into the back seat with Padmé, Leia shouted, "Go! Now!"

Her husband didn't need telling twice. Stepping down hard on the ignition, the Corellian sped right out of the open gate, swerving immediately to the left. He continued accelerating until reaching the main traffic route. Dozens upon dozens of speeders were racing past, albeit at slower speeds, but still enabling them to blend in with the crowd. Nonetheless, sirens were screaming throughout the streets as either the local police or the new Imperial arrivals ensued a spectacular chase behind them.

Sensing the other vehicles coming up on them, Han accelerated upwards abruptly. Leia felt acid tang at the back of her throat as her breakfast tried making a reappearance. The hotshot pilot was no less hedonistic as he took the speeder through an immense spin; luckily, they had taken the precaution of seat belts.

Despite his evasion tactics, the pursuing authorities had not been discouraged in the least. Two or three blaster shots ricocheted just behind the backseat with a _ping - _one left a sizzling whole in the previously shiny black surface.

Overly conscious of his close shave, Han reversed his approach as he dive-bombed into the traffic once again.

[Han! We won't be able to keep this up for much longer unless you want to be an order of fried ribenes!] Chewie was roaring into his ear.

"Hey, I've got it, Fuzzball. Just calm down!"

[Oh, yes. I'm perfectly calm. Actually, I'm so calm that if you stopped on the side of the road I think we might be able to ask for directions,] the Wookiee replied with uncharacteristic sarcasm.

"This is no time to be getting our nerves in a tangle you two! Captain Solo, please just _move!" _Padmé's tone was brimming with authority as she bellowed her order. Leia shrugged when Han gave her a skeptical glance.

"You heard her, scruffy."

Praying (to what exactly he didn't know or care), Han slammed his foot on the acceleration until he heard the pedal creak with the strain. Finally, as a crisp wind whipped at his face and hair, all else disappeared behind him in a blur. This was true adrenaline, just like the old days of speeder bike racing.

_C'mon, honey! I know you've got it in you, _he mentally told the speeder.

With a familiar youthful cockiness, Han felt himself becoming one with the speeder. Where he moved, she moved. And if he escaped these nuisances, she'd follow. The speed was exhilarating as he thrust the speeder forward through gods-knows-what. Han had one sole focus: the road ahead. And as the pavement approached him more rapidly he could barely feel the sway of the machine around him and the terrified screams of his passengers.

Gradually, Han was coming out of his high. The engine was beginning to shake, unstable and burned out. It had begun to cough like General Grievous before Han's euphoric state dissipated.

[Han! You've burned out the engine!] Chewie was roaring right next to him.

Leia was not without commentary, as expected. "Han, you laserbrain, we're breaking down. _Again!"_

"But thank the Force that Captain Solo managed to lose the Imperials," supplied Padmé.

"Yeah, and our lunches. Those maneuvers were absolutely maniacal, Han! But I guess I should have expected it. . . " His wife remarked, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before leaping out of the severely damaged vehicle.

Han didn't know what to say. He sat in the cockpit a few more dazed moments before a pair of strong, furry arms grabbed him by the armpits and forcibly stood him up on the ground. A couple of stunned moments passed before the former smuggler shook his head and snapped back to reality. Gods, how he missed antics like these.

It was Padmé who brought them all on track, immediately listing all the things that were on the agenda in order for them to complete the mission. She was slowly evolving into an extremely capable and no-nonsense woman, something that surprised Leia in contrast to the handmaiden's earlier tears. But of course, the princess remembered those dual personalities that even she used to carry around when laboring under the Rebel Alliance. She vaguely sensed that the tendency to have public and private faces started earlier than that.

But more to the point, there was something that had grown in Padmé that made her so familiar it was disturbing.

"All we can do right now in our current state is to lay low and then proceed to form a plan of action. Leia, Captain Solo, and Chewbacca - are any of you familiar with the planet? I'm afraid I have not been able to identify anything other than the geography of Corellia and what is really needed is some handy street knowledge."

Han had finally snapped out of it, and was able to supply his inquirer with: "Sure, I've got plenty of street knowledge. I was on 'em for the first fifteen years. Just gimme a minute and I can figure out where we are. What didja have in mind?"

"Some totally unassuming motel. Something very, very civilian."

"Follow me."

Traveling by foot through the bustling capital of Coronet, and eventually into the sketchier parts of downtown, the group of four were navigated by Han to a seedy-looking motel wedged between several other buildings that looked as if they contained less than legitimate business.

Han paused to take a good once-over of the establishment. "Civilian enough, ya think?"

Sniffing a scent that happened to be on the unpleasant side, Chewbacca retorted that it was quite enough civilian for him to handle. [You and I have been in worse places, but they have probably never smelled this bad.]

"It's... perfect," Padmé cut in.

"If you say so, sister."

Within minutes, the scraggly motel operator of Duros origin led them up a creaky rust-eaten staircase. It was indeed perfect for their cover. While it would cause some inconvenience in a matter of connection, the four decided it was best to split themselves between two rooms; there would be nothing big enough for all four of them, and it would look strange for them all to stay in one place, regardless. Because Chewbacca insisted on staying with Han, they took one of the rooms which was on the second floor, while Leia and Padmé occupied an adjacent space.

"Enjoy your stay," croaked the landlord.

When the hole-ridden door closed shut, Leia wondered why the ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach had just gotten worse.

* * *

"Uncle Luke? Uncle Luke?" Something sharply prodded the Jedi Master's ribcage, resulting in a light groan. It was still early morning, a time when most preferred to sleep. Others, it seemed, had a different agenda.

Turning in the sheets to face his youngest nephew, he replied, "Anakin, what is it?"

"Mom and Dad are in trouble."

"Are you sure?"

The seven-year-old nodded. His Force-sense was by far the strongest of the Solo kids, a fact which often led to surprising discoveries. Luke, in his rumpled nightclothes, immediately arose from his guest bed and walked into the children's bedroom. He found Jacen and Jaina drowsy, yet perfectly awake enough to tell him what their brother had. They had sensed, with their superior connection to their parents, that Han and Leia had once again managed to land themselves into a spot.

"What was it?" He felt disappointed that he had not detected anything from his sister at all. Usually their bond as twins was strong enough that, even remotely, he could hear her through the Force talking to him.

Jaina answered first. "It's like Dad was getting really excited and really anxious at the same time. Kind of like when I'm playing a hologame or I'm against the X-Wing simulator and I'm trying to beat out the TIEs."

"And Mom was getting really tense and nervous too, right?" Jacen added.

"Okay. No need for panic yet. Your parents are always on an adventure. I'm going to make a few com calls to make sure that they're not in any real trouble. If they are, then we'll move on from there." Luke glanced at his niece and nephews for approval. When they agreed it was a sound plan, he continued, "Hopefully it's only your dad's ship. But knowing this family's luck... who knows?"

Slipping on his robe, the Jedi Master picked up the holoprojector device and started with the first and most sensible choice - Mon Mothma's office. As the ringer began, he shuffled into the kitchenette for a cup of kaffe. This was going to be a long day.


	8. Ceding to Wills

Exhausted from the previous day's excitement, Leia awoke groggy and sore. The beds weren't quite what she was used to as a high-ranking government official and former princess. Her stomach growled with a burning need for a cup of caf. As Leia stood to stretch her abused body, she was surprised to find her orange-clad companion already awake and bustling about, cleaning and muttering things to herself. Slightly embarrassed at the younger woman's attentions, Leia made the disheveled bed before going over to provide help.

"Good morning, Prin- Leia," Padmé caught herself.

Dusting off the side table, the Alderaanian replied, "Good morning to you as well. How did you wake up so early? Sleep well?"

The Nubian girl flashed her a small smile. "It was all right. I am used to waking up early as part of the Queen's detail; or at least, I was," she added sadly, turning her back as she attended to the window on the far side of the room.

Padmé struggled to close the drapes fully when Leia set a hand on the handmaiden's, stopping her momentarily.

"You need to push it back a little, and then pull forward." The stubborn fabric gave way, and Leia smiled in satisfaction. "There. Take it easy; I'll find us something to eat. After all, you've got to eat before we go out fighting again."

The girl looked back at her with an appreciative smile. Leia grabbed her jacket from the little chair beside the bed and grabbed the key to the room before heading out. She needed to talk to Han; surely, he'd have some sort of idea about what was going on. Not only that, but she was going to give him a piece of her mind about yesterday's escapades.

Not surprisingly, her husband was still in a state of slumber. Feeling a smirk travel its way up her lips, she decided to give him a little bit of a head start. Setting a soft kiss on his cheek, then his lips, the princess watched his hazel eyes open slowly.

"'Morning, scoundrel," she smacked him gently on the head.

Still sleepy, he grunted a barely understandable "Morning, Your Worship."

The laughter of a certain amused Wookiee finally shocked Han's ears enough to fully wake him.

"All right, all right, I'm gettin' up. How long've I been out?"

"Don't worry, long enough for me to need to wake you up."

Sitting up adjacent to his wife on the side of the bed, Han groaned, "I feel old."

Leia placed her hand on his knee, giving it a playful shove. "You _are _old. Which is why what happened yesterday is not going down again. I know that you're... well, _you, _and attract danger like banthas to a well. But we were already close enough to death that we didn't need your crazy driving on top of it. Han?" She stopped, her authoritative voice fading into a warmer one.

"Your Highness?" His brow was raised, both skeptically and in understanding.

"Please just be cautious. This whole thing is already so dangerous and I'm-I'm worried. I can't lose you," the princess stared at him, as if trying to project all of what she meant into her husband. But there was also the part of her that felt her old annoyance toward him. She didn't want to lose the thing that brought them together in the first place.

"Hey, it's me!" he said quietly, but a cocky grin spread across his face, making Leia chuckle a bit.

"And that's what worries me." Leia mumbled it so it sounded like Ewokese to Han, but she was entertained by the idea of her brother looking calmly worried out in that forest. She released her hold on his knee and established, "I'm going to get some caf. Want some?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I could do with some, Princess," he said, shifting ever so slightly away from her. Chewie mumbled a groggy affirmative from where he was sleeping, and Leia nodded. But then she felt the tug from Han that said they were going to have an argument soon. In a flurry of emotion, she reached up and kissed him for a moment. She left before he could say anything; Chewie grumbled his chuckle, making Han shake his head.

* * *

"You three be good," Luke warned, knowing it somehow wouldn't work, much like it never did. "I promise that I'll get you some blue ice cream later, but only if you're good here. I really have to talk to this person."

"Is it Mon Mothma?" Jaina asked smartly, partially knowing through the Force.

Luke sighed and nodded before walking down the hall. He turned around when he sensed foul play, but they shaped up after that. He knocked on the door and entered shortly after being let in. "We have a situation."

"It is never a good sign when you don't greet someone in passing," she said, looking up from her paperwork. "What has gone wrong?"

"I haven't received word from Han or Leia since they left. I'm beginning to think that they're in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"The kind that Han attracts." When Mon Mothma tightened her lips in a mixture of wonderment and amusement, he elaborated. "I think they might be in a hostage situation, or something similar."

"Like the First Insurrection on Corellia?"

"Or a ruthless bounty hunter that's after Leia." Having recalled detail after detail from the time prior to his sister's departure, it was the only conclusion he had come to that seemed reasonable.

"The same one that killed the Queen?"

"Maybe. How could the two of them be connected?" Luke began to clear his mind to find the answer when Mon Mothma broke him away from it.

"I think you need to go to Naboo and figure out who is behind this; other than Corellia, it's the last place that this bounty hunter was seen. Would you mind a diplomatic mission?"

"No, but Leia has left me in the care of my nephews and niece."

"We will find a suitable alternative for you so that all loose ends will be taken care of upon your departure. Report back when you have reached Theed," she spoke with finality, already on her computer and making the arrangements.

While he was impressed with her diligence, the Jedi couldn't help but feel a little overpowered. "Wait, I can't just up and leave, especially without the children. I'm sure I can take them out to the lake country with me. They will be safe there."

The President had the slightest hint of a smile on her face. "Be ready to leave in another five hours, Master Jedi Skywalker."

Acceding to her will, he replied, "Of course, Madame President."

Luke turned strode out of her office, past the secretaries and was waiting at the elevator when he was stopped by Mon's voice.

"May the Force be with you, Luke."


End file.
